Thousands spent on speaker for head teacher conference

Jamie Callaghan

Fife Council has been criticised for spending thousands of pounds on hiring a speaker for a head teachers’ conference .

The local authority spent £3218 on the accommodation, flights, transfer, and the speech itself.

The two-day conference was held at the Old Manor Hotel in Lundin Links.

Councillor Colin Davidson questioned the decision to spend such a sum on a speaker, at the same time the council is making cuts to its spending.

“In no way do I want to criticise head teachers – they are doing a marvellous job,” Mr Davidson said.

“What I’m asking is how can we spend £3000 on a motivational speaker when we are having to make cuts to spending? And how can we measure the impact of the speaker? I have to question the validity of spending that money on a motivational speaker.”

Carrie Lindsay, education and children’s services executive director, said: “Head teachers from across Fife were all invited to attend a one-day leadership engagement session to ensure continued high quality leadership in our schools. This is one of the ways that Fife continues to improve outcomes for our children by staying ahead of new research and methodologies.

“Due to the number of head teachers across Fife it is not possible for this to happen on one day, so head teachers are offered one of two days to attend. This is not and never has been a residential opportunity. We always look to ensure that any venue we use offers best value, that was the case with the venue of The Old Manor.”